Fast Facts
The Vice President of Development will drive fundraising initiatives at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, focusing on individual giving and foundations to secure transformational gifts.
Responsibilities: Develop and implement fundraising strategies, manage individual and foundation giving, oversee team operations, and engage with stakeholders to enhance donor relations and revenue growth.
Skills: Strong expertise in major giving and philanthropy, excellent relationship-building capabilities, and proficiency in data-driven decision-making.
Qualifications: Minimum 10+ years in fundraising with proven success in securing seven- to eight-figure donations; advanced degrees and CFRE certification preferred.
Location: Remote, based in the United States with a preference for the EST time zone.
Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $150,000 - $250,000.
Position Purpose
The Vice President (VP), Individual Giving, Foundations, and Philanthropic Operations plays a critical leadership role in advancing Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s (BBBSA) fundraising strategy, with an emphasis on growing individual giving, foundations and institutional support. Reporting directly to the Chief Development Officer (CDO), the Vice President will lead and execute a comprehensive, data-driven strategy to secure transformational gifts (7-figure +) from high-net-worth individuals, family foundations, donor-advised funds (DAFs), and leading philanthropic institutions. The VP will directly oversee the Senior Director, Advancement & Major Giving and a team of fundraising professionals, the Director, Philanthropic Operations and CRM Administration and the full department’s supportive resources within Philanthropic Operations, ensuring data integrity, long-term sustainability and donor engagement at the highest levels.
This leader will act as a key partner to the CDO, supporting major fundraising initiatives and ensuring alignment with the organization's broader multi-channel fundraising strategy. The VP will cultivate strategic relationships, provide innovative leadership, and collaborate cross-functionally to drive mission impact and revenue growth across BBBSA and its network of more than 230 Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) agencies.
Travel: Approximately 30%
Location: Remote, based in the Continental United States, EST time zone preferred.
FLSA: Full Time, Exempt
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Fundraising Leadership
- Develop, lead, and implement a comprehensive individual giving and foundation fundraising strategy, with clear revenue growth targets and aligned with BBBSA’s strategic priorities.
- Partner with the CDO to advance BBBSA's national fundraising goals and ensure cohesive execution across development programs.
- Provide expert leadership in developing donor pipelines for major and principal gifts, donor-advised funds, planned giving, and foundation grants.
- Serve as an organizational expert in transformative funding approaches and lead the activation of fundraising campaigns both annually and those aligned to the strategic plan.
- Oversee innovative prospecting strategies using wealth screening, predictive analytics, and donor segmentation.
- Lead Philanthropic Operations for the department, developing a best-in-class donor experience.
- Serve as an ambassador and thought leader for BBBSA, engaging key stakeholders, high-net-worth donors, foundation leaders, and philanthropic partners.
Individual Giving and Major Gifts
- Drive and expand major giving initiatives, ensuring the use of structured moves management to deepen donor engagement and stewardship.
- Personally manage and advance a select portfolio of top-tier individual donor prospects (20-40), focused on major and principal gift levels, securing mid-seven- and eight-figure donor commitments.
- Oversee the Senior Director, Advancement and Major Giving and the individual giving team (3 people), ensuring effective cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
- Strategically develop and activate donor leadership circles and communities that drive results.
- Integrate donor journeys with CRM and AI tools to personalize outreach and optimize donor lifetime value.
Foundation and Institutional Giving
- Lead foundation and family foundation fundraising efforts, identifying and cultivating relationships with institutional funders aligned with BBBSA’s mission ensuring BBBSA has a presence and representation in key events, gatherings and donor communities. Oversee the development of compelling grant proposals and case statements, ensuring alignment with programmatic and strategic priorities.
- Strategically grow foundation revenue streams, focusing on multi-year, transformational grants that result in 7 and 8-figure gift commitments.
- Personal ownership of the foundations (private & family) portfolio to secure transformational support for the mission with gifts and grants of $20-$30M annually.
Team Leadership and Development
- Serve as an organizational expert on foundations aligned and programmatic funding opportunities, proposals and success, partnering across the organization to ensure strategic alignment.
- Serve as a member of the organization's Leadership Team, ensuring partnership, activation and alignment across shared areas of work, and organization success aligned to annual goals.
- Accelerates and activates opportunities for donor growth and success aligned to BBBSA campaigns, activities and initiatives.
Board and Leadership Engagement
- Partner with the CDO and CEO to leverage the Board of Directors and senior leadership in cultivating major donors and foundation partners.
- Equip board members with tools and strategies to actively participate in philanthropic initiatives.
- Collaborate with key leadership to develop customized donor engagement strategies, including CEO and executive involvement in solicitation activities.
Philanthropic and Operational Oversight
- Delivers leadership and guidance across the philanthropic operations team (2 people), all processes, integrations and activation including management of the CRM database to ensure the successful and effective implementation of the department's annual development plan.
- Ensure fundraising operations reflect the highest ethical, financial, and stewardship & recognition standards.
- Align individual giving and foundation efforts with financial planning in coordination with the CFAO and Finance teams.
- Implement efficient systems for donor acknowledgment, reporting, and compliance.
Partnering with the BBBS Network
- As needed, partner with local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies and the BBBSA Agency Growth team to strengthen and expand fundraising capacity, ensuring alignment between national strategies and local priorities to drive sustainable revenue growth.
- Partner with the Nationwide Leadership Council (NLC) Partnerships Committee to equip local affiliates with tools, resources, and best practices to accelerate their donor engagement, and partnership development driving fundraising innovation and growth.
- Serve as a thought leader and strategic advisor to affiliate leadership, fostering a culture of shared success and co-developing network-wide initiatives that amplify impact and brand relevance.
Team Culture
- Develops and leads a high-performing fundraising team, fostering a culture of innovation, optimism, accountability, and excellence.
- Manages succession planning for fundraising leadership roles to ensure long-term talent development.
- Establishes clear KPIs and performance metrics to measure revenue growth and donor engagement success.
- Ensures a collaborative and inclusive team environment, aligning with BBBSA organizational values.
- Recruits, trains, retains, and cultivates the professional development of direct reports.
- Creates a dynamic, supportive, and effective team that is impactful across BBBSA and the Big Brothers Big Sisters Network.
- Lead and manage resources (people and capital) that retain and cultivate positive, measurable success.
- Monitor progress against performance targets; implements countermeasures as needed.
Mindset & Cultural Expectations
At Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, we operate in an accelerated, high-impact environment where innovation, agility, and a 'roll up your sleeves' mentality are essential for success. The Vice President must be energized by the opportunity to lean in, to lead by example, and step into the work—whether building high-level partnerships or ensuring operational execution at a granular level. The ideal candidate will embody a leadership style that is:
- Empathetic and inclusive, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose across diverse teams and stakeholders.
- Collaborative and consensus-building, with a strong ability to work cross-functionally and bring people together toward common goals.
- Nimble and adaptable, thriving in a fast-paced environment and responding with agility to new challenges, opportunities, and shifting priorities.
- Optimistic and solutions-focused, maintaining a positive outlook and inspiring confidence in times of change.
- Proactive and hands-on, recognizing that leadership is about both vision and execution.
This role requires someone who can drive strategy while remaining deeply engaged in the work itself, ensuring that fundraising efforts are not only visionary but also executable, scalable, and sustainable. The Vice President must embrace the pace, complexity, and entrepreneurial spirit of the BBBSA environment and bring a mindset that fuels innovation, resilience, and long-term growth.
Organizational Culture
- Demonstrates a commitment to BBBSA’s shared leadership competencies and organizational values.
- Provides consistent follow-up regarding assigned projects and after meetings.
- Cultivates an environment where all team members feel valued, included, and empowered to achieve their potential.
- Manages related and other duties as assigned in support of department and business needs.
Qualifications and Experience
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred or equivalent experience.
- Minimum of 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, philanthropy, and revenue generation, with emphasis on individual giving, major gifts, and foundations.
- Proven track record of securing seven- and eight-figure gifts from individuals and institutions.
- Advanced leadership experience managing teams in a federated or affiliate-based nonprofit model preferred.
- Experience in major donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and grant writing.
- Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification preferred.
Key Competencies & Skills
- Deep expertise in major giving, individual philanthropy, and foundation fundraising.
- Strong relationship-building skills, particularly with high-net-worth individuals and institutional funders.
- Data-driven decision-maker with experience in predictive analytics, donor segmentation, and CRM systems.
- Ability to motivate, inspire, and manage remote, high-performing teams.
- Strategic thinker with a collaborative, innovative leadership style.
- Superior written, verbal, and presentation skills.
Our Commitment
At Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, we recognize, affirm, and celebrate the backgrounds, lives, and experiences of all of our stakeholders, including youth, families, donors, volunteers, and staff. We ensure the opportunity for all voices and perspectives to be heard and honored. In the workplace, we foster an environment where all people can be their best selves. We affirm that every person has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We strive to realize the full potential that is within all of us by ensuring that all voices and perspectives are heard and honored.
Equal Employment Opportunity
BBBSA provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, age, sex, familial or marital status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or any other legally-protected status in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and ordinances.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Employee must be able to perform all essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Job Responsibilities
The above statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities and competencies considered necessary to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job and should not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. BBBSA may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is directly recruiting and hiring for this position. We are not engaging any staffing/recruitment firms or agencies for this position. If any candidate profile/resume/identifying information is sent to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and/or Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies, we will not pay any referral or firm fees in relation to this information.
